Howard Lisnoff(2019-12-30). Self-Enlightenment v. Social Change.counterpunch.orgBaba Ram Dass (ne: Richard Alpert) was different from the host of gurus and their followers who came out of the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with prisoners and the dying for a time, but was part of the self-enlightenment ethos that enticed so many from the generation of baby boomers (Dass was older than More

RT(2019-12-30). Chinese scientist who claimed to create first-ever 'gene-edited' babies sentenced to 3yrs in prison.rt.com A Chinese scientist behind the "gene-edited" babies experiment has been sentenced to three years in prison, nearly a year after Beijing said he would be punished for his questionable practice. | He Jiankui announced in 2018 that he had altered the genes of twin girls, Lulu and Nana, to make them resistant to HIV. | Reports suggest that he was involved in the birth of one more gene-edited baby. While the Chinese geneticist said he "felt proud" of the breakthrough, the scientific community met the news with deep hostility, accusing Jiankui of ethics violations. | He Jiankui received three years in jail and a fin…

RT(2019-12-30). Spain's state attorney calls for temporary release of Catalan EU lawmaker Junqueras.rt.com Spain's state attorney called on Monday for the temporary release of Catalan politician Oriol Junqueras from prison. The move is seen as a gesture of political goodwill as the Socialist Party seeks support to form a government, Reuters said. | Last week, the European Union's top court said Junqueras, who was sentenced in October to 13 years in prison over a failed 2017 independence bid, was entitled to immunity as an EU lawmaker. | Spain's Supreme Court, which has the final say, is expected to announce its decision in the coming weeks. The state attorney also called on the top court to ask the European Parliam…

yenisafak(2019-12-30). Israel arrests over 5,500 Palestinians in 2019.yenisafak.comIsraeli authorities arrested more than 5,500 Palestinians during 2019, including 889 children and 128 women, several Palestinian advocacy groups announced Monday.The figures were released through a statement issued on Monday by a number of Palestinian prisoners' affairs groups including the Palestinian Prisoners Society.Israeli forces arrest Palestinians on a nearly daily basis, with some released after short investigations and others referred to Israeli courts.According to the statement, detainees currently languishing in prison have reached 5,000, including 50 women and 200 child, while the number of detainees…

IMEMC News & Agencies(2019-12-29). Detainees Recount Stories of Abuse in Israeli Detention.imemc.orgPalestinian detainees who were recently taken into custody by Israeli authorities have reportedly been subjected to various forms of maltreatment, including physical abuse and beatings, according to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS). PPS said that prisoner Mutasem Anwar Sheikha, who was recently detained by Israeli police in Jerusalem, was brutally …

Staff(2019-12-29). Here Are Five Ways to Support Chelsea Manning in 2020.truthout.orgThe year 2019 has been a nightmare for whistleblower Chelsea Manning and her supporters. While Donald Trump cleared three members of the United States Army who reportedly murdered Afghani civilians, Manning is, once again, confined for acting in accord with her own principles. In 2010, she was imprisoned for leaking classified military and diplomatic documents that exposed U.S. war crimes, including the murder of Iraqi and Afghani civilians. | This time, Manning is not charged with or convicted of a crime. On March…

Saed Bannoura(2019-12-29). Not A Merry Christmas For Christian Detainees In Israeli Prisons.imemc.orgAt the house of Palestinian political prisoner, Samer al-Arabid, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, you can find no Christmas tree, no celebration and no joy to the world. After all, he is facing a serious health condition after being severely and continuously tortured by Israel. Samer comes …

Staff(2019-12-29). Environmental Activists Celebrate a 'Victory for Our Oceans'.truthdig.comDefenders of ocean habitats celebrated Friday after a federal court upheld a lower court ruling defending the right of the U.S. executive branch to set aside marine areas as national monuments. | Citing the authority found under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish marine national monuments, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia sided against a lawsuit brought by large fishing industry interests that challenged President Barack Obama's designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which encompases 4,913 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean off the nation's northeas…

Staff(2019-12-28). Court Upholds Ruling Protecting Marine Area Against Oil and Fishing Interests.truthout.orgDefenders of ocean habitats celebrated Friday after a federal court upheld a lower court ruling defending the right of the U.S. executive branch to set aside marine areas as national monuments. | Citing the authority found under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish marine national monuments, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia sided against a lawsuit brought by large fishing industry interests that challenged President Barack Obama's designation of the Northeast Cany…

RT(2019-12-28). US military contractors sued for funding terrorism in Afghanistan with 'protection' payments to Taliban.rt.com Bribes paid by international military contractors in Afghanistan were used by the Taliban to fund attacks on companies that didn't make the payments, according to a lawsuit filed by families of those injured or killed as a result. | "Large corporations that had lucrative businesses in Afghanistan" paid off the Taliban through a series of subcontractors, bribing the Afghan militants in order to save money on security, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court by the families of 143 US soldiers and contractors injured and killed during the longest war in American history. The 288-page civil suit …

RT(2019-12-28). Your technology is mine! Doctor sues Apple over Apple Watch heart rate monitoring method.rt.com The technology that an Apple Watch uses to detect heartbeat irregularities violates a patent held by a New York University cardiologist, he has alleged in a lawsuit filed against the tech giant. | Dr. Joseph Wiesel asked a federal court in Brooklyn to order Apple to pay damages, claiming the company is violating his rights "with knowledge and understanding". | According to court papers, Dr. Wiesel invented a method and device for detecting atrial fibrillation, using photoplethysmography to "assess w…

Staff(2019-12-27). "Bedlam": Film Shows How Decades of Healthcare Underfunding Made Jails "De Facto Mental Asylums"democracynow.org Are prisons and jails America's "new asylums"? A new documentary looks at how a disproportionate number of underserved people facing mental health challenges have been swept into the criminal justice system, where they lack adequate treatment. Nearly 15% of men and more than 30% of women in jails have a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. For many of them, jail is their first point of entry into mental health treatment. The documentary "Bedlam" was filmed over five years in Los Angeles County's overwhelmed and vastly under-resourced Emergency Psychiatry Services, a…

Alan Macleod(2019-12-27). Wikileaks Still Holding Powerful to Account as Founder Julian Assange "Slowly Dies" in Prison.mintpressnews.comJulian Assange is dying inside Belmarsh Prison in London. Those are his own words, relayed through English journalist Vaughan Smith, who revealed that the Wikileaks founder called him on Christmas Eve to share his greetings. Smith also divulged that Assange told him he is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours per day and is often sedated. | His treatment has elicited protests around the world, from journalists, news organizations, human rights groups and celebrities. Last week a group of Australian doctors asked Foreign Minister Marise Pay…

Staff(2019-12-26). Headlines for December 26, 2019.democracynow.orgMurkowski "Disturbed" by McConnell's "Coordination" with White House for Impeachment Trial, Trump Attacks Windmills with a Series of False Claims, The Intercept: Bloomberg Used Prison Labor to Make 2020 Campaign Calls, Thousands of Syrian Civilians Flee Government Offensive in Idlib, 35 Civilians Killed in Attack in Burkina Faso, China Calls on U.S. to Take "Concrete Steps" Toward Peace with North Korea, At Least 21 Killed as Typhoon Phanfone Slams into the Philippines, U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Recalled After Criticizing Criminalization of Homosexuality, Evo Morales Vows to Return to Bolivia by Next Christmas, H…

Nicole Zayas Fortier(2019-12-24). Across the Country Harsh Sentencing Laws are Tearing Apart Families and Communities.aclu.orgDuring the holiday season, in the picturesque town of Petoskey, | Michigan, Kimiko Uyeda, and her son Marshall celebrate with an annual tradition | of selecting a new ornament to add to | their tree. Year after year, Kimko and Marshall add to their collection | of ornaments as a part of their tradition. | For years, however, they were separated from one another and | unable to enjoy this holiday tradition together. It all began in 2013 when Kimko was arrested for | filing what the local sheriff believed to be a false police report. Because of | broken sentencing laws, the prosecutor in the case was able to add…

Binoy Kampmark(2019-12-21). Medical Opinion, Torture, and Julian Assange.dissidentvoice.org On November 27 this year, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, delivered an address to the German Bundestag outlining his approach to understanding the mental health of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. These comprised two parts, the initial stage covering his diplomatic asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy, the second dealing with his formal detention in …

Al Neal(2019-12-20). Samsung boss sent to prison for union busting.peoplesworld.org There are roughly 7,111 languages spoken around the world. As we close out 2019 and enter 2020, that number will increase (or decrease) as we continue to understand, grasp, and document what constitutes a spoken or written language. In any case, and in any language, we can all agree: Union busting is disgusting. And, unlike …

Kanya Bennett(2019-12-20). A Fair Chance at Opportunity: The U.S. Government Bans the Box.aclu.orgWhen Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) reintroduced the Fair Chance Act earlier this year, he | said: "This bill would give individuals who are reentering society from prison | a fair chance at truly achieving the American dream." The Fair Chance Act would | ban the box that employers use to ask about arrest and conviction history on | job applications. It also requires that federal agencies and contr…

ACLU(2019-12-20). Four Lawyers. Four Projects. One Non-Stop Year.aclu.org It isn't news that the Trump administration has kept ACLU attorneys working at breakneck speed for the past three years. In 2019 alone, we saw historic moments and victories—from defeating the citizenship question on the 2020 census and bringing the first trans civil rights case to the Supreme Court, to blocking a wave of abortion bans and many of the administration's attempts to dismantle the asylum system. To name a few. | Here are some of our attorneys' takes on 2019 and the year ahead—what's changed for the better and for the worse, and how the outcome of the 2020 presidential election will a…

Staff(2019-12-19). FBI Surveillance of Trump Aide Reflects Flaws in Secretive FISA System That Mostly Targets Muslims.democracynow.org Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Wednesday the FBI should have considered halting its surveillance of Trump's campaign aide Carter Page months before it did, after it was revealed that accusations against him may not be credible. Horowitz made the comments while testifying to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, saying the FBI used false information to obtain approval to wiretap Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and raising wider concerns about the agency's use of surveillance. He testified a day after the highly secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Co…

ACLU(2019-12-19). 10 LGBTQ Moments that Defined 2019.aclu.org 1. Aimee Stephens goes to the Supreme Court: | In October, the Supreme Court heard its first trans civil rights case ever. The case was brought by our client Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job at a funeral home solely for being transgender. That's sex discrimination and it violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. , | We have yet to see whether the Supreme Court will uphold the civil rights of trans people. But no matter what, history has already been made. , | "I'll never forget the feeling of coming out of the Supreme Court and seeing a crowd of trans people and allies chanting to…

Melissa Grant(2019-12-18). A Tennessee City Banned Surgical Abortion Within the City Limits. We're Taking Them to Court.aclu.orgFor 30 years, I have | worked in reproductive health care. In my current role as Chief Operating | Officer of carafem, a nonprofit with a national network of health centers, I | know the difference compassionate and comprehensive reproductive health care | makes in the lives of our clients. I have witnessed the personal impact when | people who have the legal right to have a child or to have an abortion are denied | those rights due to outrageous societal barriers. Abortion providers are used | to opposition, but we've never experienced the kind of explicit targeting we | received from politicians in the city…

Staff(2019-12-18). Headlines for December 18, 2019.democracynow.orgHouse to Hold Historic Impeachment Vote Today, Top U.S. Diplomat to Ukraine William Taylor to Step Down, Rick Gates Sentenced to 45 Days in Jail and $20,000 Fine, FISA Court Orders FBI to Change National Security Wiretaps After DOJ Report, Democratic Primary Debate to Go Forward After Labor Dispute Resolved, Senate Approves One of the Most Expensive Military Spending Bills in U.S. History, Trump Meets with Outgoing Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, Indian Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Controversial Citizenship Law, Strikes Continue Nationwide in France over Pension Overhaul, Bolivia's Evo Morales Names Two…

Staff(2019-12-17). Democratic Candidates Focus on Public Education at Historic Forum with Civil Rights & Labor Groups.democracynow.org Ahead of the last Democratic presidential debate of the year this Thursday, seven candidates appeared Saturday at the historic Democratic Presidential Forum on Public Education in Pittsburgh, an event organized by public education organizations, unions, civil rights organizations and community groups. We play highlights from the forum and get response from Keron Blair, director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools in Atlanta; Jitu Brown, national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance; and Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education Action. She recently authored a report titled "S…

Twyla Carter(2019-12-17). It's Clear: In Oklahoma Cash Bail is Being Used as Ransom to Keep People Who Are Poor Behind Bars.aclu.orgImagine you are one of the 4,000 people arrested every year in Canadian County, Oklahoma, a county with less than 200,000 people. Maybe the police find marijuana in your car during a traffic stop, maybe the police have mistaken you for someone else, or perhaps you can't afford the $40 per month you owe the court from a different charge. | After you're arrested, things will go one of two ways. You may | spend an hour or two in the jail for booking and then go home until your court | date. Or, you might sit in jail for weeks or months until your court date, | eating substandard food and sleeping on a linoleum fl…

Gerry Mohan(2019-11-24). Just Trying to Get It.zcomm.orgFront page of the Guardian Review I'm trying to get it: a US president who waged war against 7 Muslim countries; droned, murdered and terrorized thousands of civilians in some of the poorest countries on earth; just by the way got rid of habeas corpus; spent a trillion dollars on "modernizing" the US military and Read more…

Pro-Coup Venezuelan Soldiers Who Fled to the US Now Locked Up in ICE Immigration Detention Center
Alan MacLeod | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-30
The Venezuelan soldiers who participated in the U.S.-backed coup attempt in April of this year and subsequently fled to the U.S. have been incarcerated in ICE detention camps ever since. Telemundo, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, secured an interview …
globalresearch.ca/pro-coup-venezuelan-soldiers-fled-us-now-locked-up-ice-detention-center/5699025

Self-Enlightenment v. Social Change
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-30
Baba Ram Dass (ne: Richard Alpert) was different from the host of gurus and their followers who came out of the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with prisoners and the dying for a time, but was part of the self-enlightenment ethos that enticed so many from the generation of baby boomers (Dass was older than…counterpunch.org/2019/12/30/self-enlightenment-v-social-change/

Self-Enlightenment v. Social Change
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-30
Baba Ram Dass (ne: Richard Alpert) was different from the host of gurus and their followers who came out of the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with prisoners and the dying for a time, but was part of the self-enlightenment ethos that enticed so many from the generation of baby boomers (Dass was older than…counterpunch.org/2019/12/30/self-enlightenment-v-social-change/

Spain's state attorney calls for temporary release of Catalan EU lawmaker Junquerasrt.com | 2019-12-30
Spain's state attorney called on Monday for the temporary release of Catalan politician Oriol Junqueras from prison. The move is seen as a gesture of political goodwill as the Socialist Party seeks support to form a government, Reuters said. | Last week, the European Union's top court said Junqueras, who was sentenced in October to 13 years in prison over a failed 2017 independence bid, was entitled to immunity as an EU lawmaker. | Spain's Supreme Court, which has the final say, is expected to announce its decision in the coming weeks. The state attorney also called on the top court to ask the European Parliam…rt.com/newsline/477101-spain-eu-catalan-lawmaker/

Chinese scientist who claimed to create first-ever 'gene-edited' babies sentenced to 3yrs in prisonrt.com | 2019-12-30
A Chinese scientist behind the "gene-edited" babies experiment has been sentenced to three years in prison, nearly a year after Beijing said he would be punished for his questionable practice. | He Jiankui announced in 2018 that he had altered the genes of twin girls, Lulu and Nana, to make them resistant to HIV. | Reports suggest that he was involved in the birth of one more gene-edited baby. While the Chinese geneticist said he "felt proud" of the breakthrough, the scientific community met the news with deep hostility, accusing Jiankui of ethics violations. | He Jiankui received three years in jail and a fin…rt.com/news/477077-china-jiankui-gene-baby-prison/

Israel arrests over 5,500 Palestinians in 2019yenisafak.com | 2019-12-30
Israeli authorities arrested more than 5,500 Palestinians during 2019, including 889 children and 128 women, several Palestinian advocacy groups announced Monday.The figures were released through a statement issued on Monday by a number of Palestinian prisoners' affairs groups including the Palestinian Prisoners Society.Israeli forces arrest Palestinians on a nearly daily basis, with some released after short investigations and others referred to Israeli courts.According to the statement, detainees currently languishing in prison have reached 5,000, including 50 women and 200 child, while the number of detainees…yenisafak.com/en/world/israel-arrests-over-5500-palestinians-in-2019-3508536

Detainees Recount Stories of Abuse in Israeli Detention
IMEMC News & Agencies | imemc.org | 2019-12-29
Palestinian detainees who were recently taken into custody by Israeli authorities have reportedly been subjected to various forms of maltreatment, including physical abuse and beatings, according to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS). PPS said that prisoner Mutasem Anwar Sheikha, who was recently detained by Israeli police in Jerusalem, was brutally …imemc.org/article/detainees-recount-stories-of-maltreatment-in-israeli-detention/

Here Are Five Ways to Support Chelsea Manning in 2020
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-29
The year 2019 has been a nightmare for whistleblower Chelsea Manning and her supporters. While Donald Trump cleared three members of the United States Army who reportedly murdered Afghani civilians, Manning is, once again, confined for acting in accord with her own principles. In 2010, she was imprisoned for leaking classified military and diplomatic documents that exposed U.S. war crimes, including the murder of Iraqi and Afghani civilians. | This time, Manning is not charged with or convicted of a crime. On March…truthout.org/articles/here-are-five-ways-to-support-chelsea-manning-in-2020/

Not A Merry Christmas For Christian Detainees In Israeli Prisons
Saed Bannoura | imemc.org | 2019-12-29
At the house of Palestinian political prisoner, Samer al-Arabid, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, you can find no Christmas tree, no celebration and no joy to the world. After all, he is facing a serious health condition after being severely and continuously tortured by Israel. Samer comes …imemc.org/article/not-a-merry-christmas-for-christian-detainees-in-israeli-prisons/

Environmental Activists Celebrate a 'Victory for Our Oceans'
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-12-29
Defenders of ocean habitats celebrated Friday after a federal court upheld a lower court ruling defending the right of the U.S. executive branch to set aside marine areas as national monuments. | Citing the authority found under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish marine national monuments, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia sided against a lawsuit brought by large fishing industry interests that challenged President Barack Obama's designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which encompases 4,913 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean off the nation's northeas…truthdig.com/articles/environmental-activists-celebrate-a-victory-for-our-oceans/

Court Upholds Ruling Protecting Marine Area Against Oil and Fishing Interests
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-28
Defenders of ocean habitats celebrated Friday after a federal court upheld a lower court ruling defending the right of the U.S. executive branch to set aside marine areas as national monuments. | Citing the authority found under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish marine national monuments, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia sided against a lawsuit brought by large fishing industry interests that challenged President Barack Obama's designation of the Northeast Cany…truthout.org/articles/us-court-upholds-ruling-protecting-marine-area-against-oil-and-fishing-interests/

US military contractors sued for funding terrorism in Afghanistan with 'protection' payments to Talibanrt.com | 2019-12-28
Bribes paid by international military contractors in Afghanistan were used by the Taliban to fund attacks on companies that didn't make the payments, according to a lawsuit filed by families of those injured or killed as a result. | "Large corporations that had lucrative businesses in Afghanistan" paid off the Taliban through a series of subcontractors, bribing the Afghan militants in order to save money on security, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court by the families of 143 US soldiers and contractors injured and killed during the longest war in American history. The 288-page civil suitrt.com/news/476988-contractors-bribes-afghanistan-terrorism-lawsuit/

Your technology is mine! Doctor sues Apple over Apple Watch heart rate monitoring methodrt.com | 2019-12-28
The technology that an Apple Watch uses to detect heartbeat irregularities violates a patent held by a New York University cardiologist, he has alleged in a lawsuit filed against the tech giant. | Dr. Joseph Wiesel asked a federal court in Brooklyn to order Apple to pay damages, claiming the company is violating his rights "with knowledge and understanding". | According to court papers, Dr. Wiesel invented a method and device for detecting atrial fibrillation, using photoplethysmography to "assess w…rt.com/usa/476999-doctor-sues-apple-patent/

Wikileaks Still Holding Powerful to Account as Founder Julian Assange "Slowly Dies" in Prison
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-27
Julian Assange is dying inside Belmarsh Prison in London. Those are his own words, relayed through English journalist Vaughan Smith, who revealed that the Wikileaks founder called him on Christmas Eve to share his greetings. Smith also divulged that Assange told him he is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours per day and is often sedated. | His treatment has elicited protests around the world, from journalists, news organizations, human rights groups and celebrities. Last week a group of Australian doctors asked Foreign Minister Marise Pay…mintpressnews.com/wikileaks-publishing-state-secrets-julian-assange-slowly-dies-prison/263775/

"Bedlam": Film Shows How Decades of Healthcare Underfunding Made Jails "De Facto Mental Asylums"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-27
Are prisons and jails America's "new asylums"? A new documentary looks at how a disproportionate number of underserved people facing mental health challenges have been swept into the criminal justice system, where they lack adequate treatment. Nearly 15% of men and more than 30% of women in jails have a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. For many of them, jail is their first point of entry into mental health treatment. The documentary "Bedlam" was filmed over five years in Los Angeles County's overwhelmed and vastly under-resourced Emergency Psychiatry Services, a…www.democracynow.org/2019/12/27/bedlam_documentary_mental_health_criminal_justice

"Bedlam": Film Shows How Decades of Healthcare Underfunding Made Jails "De Facto Mental Asylums"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-27
Are prisons and jails America's "new asylums"? A new documentary looks at how a disproportionate number of underserved people facing mental health challenges have been swept into the criminal justice system, where they lack adequate treatment. Nearly 15% of men and more than 30% of women in jails have a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. For many of them, jail is their first point of entry into mental health treatment. The documentary "Bedlam" was filmed over five years in Los Angeles County's overwhelmed and vastly under-resourced Emergency Psychiatry Services, a…www.democracynow.org/2019/12/27/bedlam_documentary_mental_health_criminal_justice

Independent UN rights experts raise alarm over 'incommunicado detention' of Chinese scholarnews.un.org | 2019-12-26
Independent United Nations human rights experts expressed apprehension on Thursday over the "incommunicado detention" of a Uyghur Muslim academic who has reportedly been sentenced to death.news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1054311

Across the Country Harsh Sentencing Laws are Tearing Apart Families and Communities
Nicole Zayas Fortier | aclu.org | 2019-12-24
During the holiday season, in the picturesque town of Petoskey, | Michigan, Kimiko Uyeda, and her son Marshall celebrate with an annual tradition | of selecting a new ornament to add to | their tree. Year after year, Kimko and Marshall add to their collection | of ornaments as a part of their tradition. | For years, however, they were separated from one another and | unable to enjoy this holiday tradition together. It all began in 2013 when Kimko was arrested for | filing what the local sheriff believed to be a false police report. Because of | broken sentencing laws, the prosecutor in the case was able to add…aclu.org/news/smart-justice/across-the-country-harsh-sentencing-laws-are-tearing-apart-families-and-communities

Guterres stresses need for independent, 'impartial investigation' into Saudi journalist Khashoggi's deathnews.un.org | 2019-12-24
As Saudi Arabia handed death sentences to five people and sent three others to jail for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the United Nations Secretary-General continued to stress the need for "an independent and impartial investigation".news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1054261

Medical Opinion, Torture, and Julian Assange
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-12-21
On November 27 this year, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, delivered an address to the German Bundestag outlining his approach to understanding the mental health of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. These comprised two parts, the initial stage covering his diplomatic asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy, the second dealing with his formal detention in …dissidentvoice.org/2019/12/medical-opinion-torture-and-julian-assange/

Four Lawyers. Four Projects. One Non-Stop Yearaclu.org | 2019-12-20
It isn't news that the Trump administration has kept ACLU attorneys working at breakneck speed for the past three years. In 2019 alone, we saw historic moments and victories–from defeating the citizenship question on the 2020 census and bringing the first trans civil rights case to the Supreme Court, to blocking a wave of abortion bans and many of the administration's attempts to dismantle the asylum system. To name a few. | Here are some of our attorneys' takes on 2019 and the year ahead–what's changed for the better and for the worse, and how the outcome of the 2020 presidential election will a…aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/four-lawyers-four-projects-one-non-stop-year

A Fair Chance at Opportunity: The U.S. Government Bans the Box
Kanya Bennett | aclu.org | 2019-12-20
When Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) reintroduced the Fair Chance Act earlier this year, he | said: "This bill would give individuals who are reentering society from prison | a fair chance at truly achieving the American dream." The Fair Chance Act would | ban the box that employers use to ask about arrest and conviction history on | job applications. It also requires that federal agencies and contr…aclu.org/news/smart-justice/a-fair-chance-at-opportunity-the-u-s-government-bans-the-box

Samsung boss sent to prison for union busting
Al Neal | peoplesworld.org | 2019-12-20
There are roughly 7,111 languages spoken around the world. As we close out 2019 and enter 2020, that number will increase (or decrease) as we continue to understand, grasp, and document what constitutes a spoken or written language. In any case, and in any language, we can all agree: Union busting is disgusting. And, unlike …peoplesworld.org/article/samsung-boss-sent-to-prison-for-union-busting/

10 LGBTQ Moments that Defined 2019aclu.org | 2019-12-19
1. Aimee Stephens goes to the Supreme Court: | In October, the Supreme Court heard its first trans civil rights case ever. The case was brought by our client Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job at a funeral home solely for being transgender. That's sex discrimination and it violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. , | We have yet to see whether the Supreme Court will uphold the civil rights of trans people. But no matter what, history has already been made. , | "I'll never forget the feeling of coming out of the Supreme Court and seeing a crowd of trans people and allies chanting to…aclu.org/news/lgbt-rights/10-lgbtq-moments-that-defined-2019

A Secret CBP Team is Targeting and Detaining Innocent Travelers. We're Suing
Tarek Ismail | aclu.org | 2019-12-18
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is deploying secret teams that target, detain, and interrogate innocent travelers. We're suing to expose their activities. | In November 2018, three CBP officers detained Andreas | Gal, a former chief | technology officer at Mozilla Corporation and current Apple employee, at San | Francisco International Airport after he landed from a business trip to Sweden. | Andr…aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/a-secret-cbp-team-is-targeting-and-detaining-innocent-travelers-were-suing

A Tennessee City Banned Surgical Abortion Within the City Limits. We're Taking Them to Court
Melissa Grant | aclu.org | 2019-12-18
For 30 years, I have | worked in reproductive health care. In my current role as Chief Operating | Officer of carafem, a nonprofit with a national network of health centers, I | know the difference compassionate and comprehensive reproductive health care | makes in the lives of our clients. I have witnessed the personal impact when | people who have the legal right to have a child or to have an abortion are denied | those rights due to outrageous societal barriers. Abortion providers are used | to opposition, but we've never experienced the kind of explicit targeting we | received from politicians in the city…aclu.org/news/reproductive-freedom/a-tennessee-city-banned-surgical-abortion-within-the-city-limits-were-taking-them-to-court

Democratic Candidates Focus on Public Education at Historic Forum with Civil Rights & Labor Groups
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-17
Ahead of the last Democratic presidential debate of the year this Thursday, seven candidates appeared Saturday at the historic Democratic Presidential Forum on Public Education in Pittsburgh, an event organized by public education organizations, unions, civil rights organizations and community groups. We play highlights from the forum and get response from Keron Blair, director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools in Atlanta; Jitu Brown, national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance; and Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education Action. She recently authored a report titled "S…www.democracynow.org/2019/12/17/democratic_presidential_forum_on_public_education

It's Clear: In Oklahoma Cash Bail is Being Used as Ransom to Keep People Who Are Poor Behind Bars
Twyla Carter | aclu.org | 2019-12-17
Imagine you are one of the 4,000 people arrested every year in Canadian County, Oklahoma, a county with less than 200,000 people. Maybe the police find marijuana in your car during a traffic stop, maybe the police have mistaken you for someone else, or perhaps you can't afford the $40 per month you owe the court from a different charge. | After you're arrested, things will go one of two ways. You may | spend an hour or two in the jail for booking and then go home until your court | date. Or, you might sit in jail for weeks or months until your court date, | eating substandard food and sleeping on a linoleum fl…aclu.org/news/smart-justice/its-clear-in-oklahoma-cash-bail-is-being-used-as-ransom-to-keep-people-who-are-poor-behind-bars